Switch cabinet



May 10, 1938. J FRANK 2,ll6,658

SWITCH CABINET Filed Jan. 20, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. M 0%. 33MBY .A 21 M ATTORNEY.

May 10, 1938. H. J. L. FRANK 2,116,658

SWITCH CABINET Filed Jan. 20, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

J wwwh ATTORNEY Maylo, 1938. H. J. L. FRANK 2,116,658

SWITCH CABINET Filed Jan. 20, 19:56 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 T 5o 42? I 7 P 47429 My INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

H. J. L. FRANK SWITCH CABINET May 10, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 20, 1936 SWITCH swn'cH I INVENTOR. filf BYJO ATTORNEY.

May 10, 1938. FRANK 2,116,658

SWITCH CABINET Filed Jan. 20, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ORNEY.

M my 10.1w 2,116,658 I J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I m f'fi f lfifi.m.

Apliuclflnn Jamlary 2., 1936, Serial N0. 59,875

9 Clllllll. (Cl. 200-114) This application relates to fused switch cabi-Fig. 8 is a back elevation view of the pan nets, to panels thereof madeup of two or more per se; fused switches, and to fused switchesgenerally Fig. 9 is a section on line 2-9, Fig. 8;

' of. the character disclosed in Reissue Patent No. Figs. 10 and 11 showdiflerent uses of the panel; 17,910 of April 2, 1935 granted to HarrisonJ. Fig. 121s a perspective view of thepanel per g L. Frank. se from theback thereof;

A fused switch cabinet includes a sheet metal Figs. 13-16 areperspective views of conducting box containing a panel of two or morefused parts of the panel; switches, the panel comprising a duplexrecepta- Fig. 1'7 is a section on line Il-il, Fig. 8.

1'0 cle base, each receptacle of which receives a fuse Referring to thedrawings, it will be seen that carrier plug or head, each receptacle andits head the fused switch cabinet of this application incomprising aswitch. cludes a box 5 containing a panel comprising a One inventionhereof relates to a novel manunitary block 6 formed with two receptaclesdisner of mounting the panel base in the box. posed side by side, eachreceptacle being cup- 15 Another invention relates to means preventingshaped and being adapted to receive a fuse carrier 16 interchange of theheads in the panel receptacles; or head I. were such means omitted, ahead carrying a The panel may be mounted in the cabinet in a largecapacity fuse might easily be plugged into convenient and facile manner.It will be observed a receptacle controlling a circuit whose maximumthat the rear wall of the box is provided with 20 load is to be that ofa smaller capacity fuse, with tongues I and a screw 9, and that the rearwall so consequent deleterious results. of the panel is provided withears l0 and a slot Another invention relates to the provision, in il.When a panel is to be mounted, the screw the heads, of slots on oppositesides of end ribs, 9 is threaded out to a considerable extent and the.which slots provide vents for the interiors of the panel is manipulatedso that the screw 9 is reswitches, ways for test leads, and adequateclearceived in the slot ii of the panel. Then the g5 ance between switchparts of opposite polarity. panel is pushed up as far as it will gountil the Still another invention'relates to the provision, ears I0clear the tongues I, after which the panel in the heads, of weakenedportions or "knockis pushed against the back of the box so that the outswhich may beknocked out if desired to proears i0 may be received behindthe tongues I, vide vents for the interiors of the switches andwhereupon'the panel is permitted to drop slightly 30 windows throughwhich it may be determined by and the screw 9 is tightened up.observation alone whether or not fuses are dis- Surrounding thepanel is.a masking plate I posed in the switches. of conventional constructionand adapted to close Still another invention relatesto features of thefront of the box is a hinge cover i5. mounting for conductor parts ofthe switches In back of slots i8 formed in the back of each 35 wherebyeconomy of manufacture is enhanced. receptacle, and thus accessible fromthe front of Still another feature relates to novel arrangethereceptacle, are disposed receptacle contacts ments of conductor partsof'the switches whereby 20. For mating with the receptacle contacts,flexibility of use of the panel is enhanced. there are provided prongs2| forming terminals 0 For an understanding of the parts disclosed in ofJ-shaped contact straps 22 of copper or the 40 the appended drawings,reference should be had like, whose bights are secured to the heads I tothefollowing specification. by the spun-over ends of embedded rivets 23,In the drawings, there being spring clips 24 between the bights and Fig.1 is a front elevation view of a switch cabie the heads to help securein place cartridge fuses net containing a panel with two switches, oneof 25 connecting ligned contacts 22, the ferrules of 45 theheads beingremoved for purposes of exposthe fuses being received within the bightsand ing the base of the switch including such head; the spring clips ofthese contacts.

Fig.2 isa fragmentary section view of a switch; On the fronts of theheads are handles in the Fig. 2a is a side view of a head, per se; formof pullrings 21 secured to the heads by cot- 0 Fig. 3 is. a fragmentaryback view of a head ter straps 28, which go through the heads and perse; terminate in portions disposed in wells 2! in back I Fig. 4 is afragmentary enlarged front view; of the heads.

Figs. 5 and 6 are side and front views, relating When a switch is to beclosed, a fuse carrying to mounting means for the panel; head is pluggedinto a receptacle; the contacts Fig. 'I is a detail view of a fusesocket; 22, connected by fuses 25, have their prongs Ii I back wallslots 30 and receptacle end wall slots 3|. Cooperating with the slots30-3l are ribs 32-33 projecting respectively from the back and from eachend wall of the head, the ribs 32-43 fitting into the slots 30-3lrespectively. These ribs function not only as guiding and. barrier ribs,but also, by virtue of the fact that the ribs and slots of one switchare of slightly different configuration from those of its neighboringswitch, serve to prevent improper interchange of heads. It will beobserved that the end slots and end ribs of one switch are deep andnarrow, whereas the end slots and end ribs of the adjacent switch areshallow and wide; a head having shallowwide ribs cannot fit into areceptacle formed with deep-narrow. slots, and vice versa, with theresult that a head cannot be plugged into a receptacle other than theone for which it is intended.

For reinforcing and barrier continuing purposes, the ribs 32 of a headare connected by the walls of the well 29 receiving the end of thecotter strap.

Adjacent and separated by each end rib 33 are slots 36. The slotsprovide vents from the interior of the switches to outside the same; theslots provide ways for test leads whose terminals may be caused toengage contact parts of the heads; and the slots, together with thebarriers formed by the end ribs 33 therebetween, cooperate to providegreater creepage paths between the opposite polarity contacts of theheads than would be the case were the slots not present.

In the center of each head and on opposite sides of the cotter strap 28which mounts the pull ring handle of each head are weakened portions orknock-outs 31. The opening created by removing a knock-out will providea large vent for the interior of the switch and in addition will providea window through which may be viewed the interior of the switch so thatit can be determined by mere observation whether or not certain of thecontacts are connected by fuses 25.

The switches are connected in circuit through fuses disposed in socketshells 38 of conducting material disposed in depressions or sockets 39;the wall of each socket hugs its shell closely except where shells areadjacent, in which case the walls are cut away, as at 40, between pointsX, with the result that the requisite minimum creepage path betweenshells of opposite polarity is preserved even though theeenter-to-center distance between shells is below what was hithertoconsidered a safe minimum.

The receptacle contacts 20 are formed as lugs of straps 42-42g, 42'-42ywelded to each other and transversely directed from straps 43--43g;certain of these straps 43-43g are apertured to receive axial shanks ofterminal connectors 44 having tapped holes receiving screws 45; othersof these straps 4343g, which .do not have connectors 44 associatedtherewith, have tapped holes receiving screws 45a whose heads formcenter or tip contacts for the socket shells 38; it will be observedthat each unit comprising a receptacle contact set, a strap, and aterminal connector, is mountable on the block merely by placing the unitagainst the back of the block in a proper place and sliding theconnector end thereof through an end slot of the block, and each unit issecurely mounted on insulation ledges 48-41, formed integral with theblock 6, by a single screw 45 or 45a, which features enhance thesimplicity and economy of manufacture of the panel.

The panels are so constructed that various manners of using the switchesthereof may be attained. For example, by connecting straps 42d-42gthrough an insulated conductor 50 whose ends are hooked around screws 5|mounting the conductor 50 on straps 42d-42a, and by interconnectingstraps 43e-43j through a conductor 52 held in place by the threading ofcertain screws 45a into tapped holes thereof, all as illustrated in Fig.8, it is possible to connect outside lines to the panel to obtain twouses of the panel parts, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, which differ fromuses obtainable when these parts and 52 are omitted.

In Fig. 10 there is shown an arrangement wherein branch circuitconductors C53, C54, D53, D54 are connected to socket shells 53 in asuitable manner, as by means of socket shell connecting screws 55 (Fig.7), wherein branch circuit conductors C53, D56 are connected in circuitby connectors C44, D44, wherein branch circuit conductors are connectedin circuit by connectors A44, wherein main feed conductors are connectedin circuit by connectors B44, and wherein fuses in the socket shellsconnect screws 45a--55 in pairs; so connected, the panel may be usedwith switch I as a main switch and with switch II as a branch switch,the main switch I controlling the connection between the main feedcircuit and all other circuits and with the branch switch II controllingonly the branch circuit A.

If, as is shown in Fig. 11, the conductors C55, D56 are the main feedconductors, and all other conductors are branch conductors, switch Iwill control branch circuit conductors B and switch II will controlbranch circuit conductors 'A, and branch circuit conductors C53, C54,D53, D54 will be permanently connected to the feed conductors and beindependent of the switches I and II.

Other uses may be attained by varying the connections, with the partsarranged as shown, and still other uses may be attained by varying thearrangements of the parts 50-52 and the connections.

I claim:

1. A plug and receptacle switch comprising a receptacle having adjacentopposite polarity contacts, a plug adapted to be disposed therein andhaving on its back surface back projecting contacts mating with thereceptacle contacts, and

having on its end wall end slots aligned with the plug contacts toprovide vents for the interior of the receptacle and ways to the plugcontacts for test leads, and also to provide an extraordinary creepagepath on the end of the plug between the plug contacts.

2. A cup shaped insulating block having a slot in its bottom wall, and aslot in its end wall, and an end ledge, a conductor strap disposed inthe end slot, and having a portion resting on the ledge, and a portiondisposed against the under surface of the block, a conductor terminalconnector secured to the portion of the strap disposed on the ledge, acontact secured to the portion of the strap disposed against the undersurface of the block and accessible for receiving a prong to the frontof the block through the block bottom wall slot and a single screw forsecuring the strap, its connectors, and its contact in place.

3. A duplex receptacle block having eight contacts arranged in twogroups each of which includes two pairs, two switch plugs, each having agroup of two pairs of contacts, the arrangement providing two relativelyindependent switches each controlling one group comprising two pairs ofcontacts, two in each pair, the contacts being arranged with four at oneend of the block and four at another end of the block, there being onecontact of each pair in each line of four, the contacts of one line offour being electrically independent of each other and each having aconductor terminal connector, the outside contacts of the other line offour being electrically interconnected and the inside contacts of suchother line of four being electrically interconnected, with the insidecontacts being electrically independent of the outside pair, a fuse neareach contact of the second line of four and connected at one end to onecontact of that line of four and connected at its other end to aconductor terminal, and two conductor terminals, other than the fourconnected to the four fuses, with one connected to one of an inside pairof contacts and with the other connected to one of an outside pair ofcontacts.

4. In a receptacle, a plug disposed therein and having conducting partson its back and having, onits end, slots alined with the conductingparts and running from front to back of the plug providing access to theconducting parts from the front of the plug and providing anextraordinary creepage path on the end of the plug between theconducting parts.

5. A plug and receptacle switch comprising a cup shaped receptaclenormally closed by the plug and containing a fuse, and a knockout on theplug front alined with the fuse which may be knocked out to provide avent and an observation hole or window for the receptacle.

6. A cup shaped insulation block having a slot in its bottom wall, and aslot in its end wall, and an end ledge, a conductor strap disposed inthe end slot, and having a portion resting on the ledge, and a portiondisposed against the under surface of the block, a conductor terminalconnector secured to the portion of the strap disposed on the ledge, acontact secured to the portion of the strap disposed against the undersurface of the block and accessible for receiving 8. prong to the frontof the block through the block bottom wall slot and a single screw forsecuring the strap, its connectors, and its contact in place, a plugfuse socket shell in the block, and a screw passing through the bottomof the shell and the block and threaded into the strap.

7. A cup shaped insulation block having a slot in its bottom, wall, anda slot in its end wall, and an end ledge, a conductor strap disposed inthe end slot, and having a portion resting on the ledge, and a portiondisposed against the under surface of the block, a conductor terminalconnector secured to the portion of the strap disposed on the ledge, acontact secured to the portion of the strap disposed against the undersurface of the block and accessible for receiving a prong to the frontof the block through the block bottom wall slot and a single screw forsecuring the strap, its connectors, and its contact in place, a plugfuse socket shell in the block, and a screw passing through the bottomof the shell and the block and threaded into the strap, the part of thescrew within the shell providing a tip contact in the shell of the samepolarity as the strap.

8. A cup shaped insulation block having a slot in its bottom wall, aconductor strap having a portion disposed against the under surface ofthe block, a contact secured to the portion of the strap disposedagainst the under surface of the block and accessible for receiving aprong to the front of the block through the block bottom wall slot, aplug fuse socket shell in the block, and a screw passing through thebottom of the shell and the block and threaded into the strap.

9. A cup shaped insulation block having a slot in its bottom wall, aconductor strap having a portion disposed against the under surface ofthe block, a contact secured to the portion of the strap disposedagainst the under surface of the block and accessible for receiving aprong to the front of the block through the block bottom wall slot, aplug fuse socket shell in the block, and a screw passing through thebottom of the shell and the block and threaded into the strap, the partof the screw within the shell providing a tip contact in the shell ofthe same polarity as the strap.

' HARRISON J. L. FRANK.

